Method and apparatus for manufacturing cushion tires



Sept 23, 1921;, a. Fei-:TT M

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CUSHXUN THBS Original Filed April l0, 1923 a Snees--Shavez SWL 23, wm

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CUSHION TIRES @riginal Filed April l0, 1923 C5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURNG CUSHION TRES Original Filed April 10. 19355 3 Sheetshee 3 INVENTOR @ar/ Re??? ATTORNEYS iii etienne? sept as, ist.

CARL E. RETT .AND GEORGE S. ANDERSON,

TIRE 13a RUBBER CO., OF BARBERTON,

METHOD AND Application filed April 10, 1923, Serial To all tv/tom t may concern.'

Be it known that We, CARL E. Rn'r'r and GEORGE S. ANDERSON, citizens of the United States, residing at i, irren, in the' county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented. a certain new and usefulV Method and Apparatus for 'Manufacturing Cushion Tires, oi which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the' art of tire manufacturing and more particularly to the branch of cushion tire manufacture.

'lhe invention has for its objects to provide a convenient apparatus for use in builda Well-known type oi' cushion tires and to provide an improved method ci' mante facturing the same 4whereby the time required to build a tire Will be greatly reduced, the use of loose core pins eliminated, the handling of heavy side plates by the tire builder eliminated, transportation et the vulcanizing molds from the tire building room to the vulcanizing room and vice versa is rendered unnecessary, time required to strip the tire from the mold .is reduced and the shearing action eliminated (thus reducing the number of seconds).

Other objects oi' the invention are to provide a method of manufacturing tires and to provide apparatus for use therein, whereby the mold stamping may be made more prominent than at present, there Will be less trimming required, whereby buildingI stochY can be ino-re readily gauged, weighed or measured (mali-ing less Waste), whereby the tire will have a better appearance because ci less trimmed edges being exposed, vand whereby a greater number o-lires may be produced in a. given time with a given quantity ot' material than is possible by the use oi? the methods and apparatus' .new coinnionly employed..

With other objects in view which will hereinafter become apparent'the invention also resides in those novel steps'. or" operation and features of construction, all of unich will be first iully described and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, .reierence heilig had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a pespeetive view of a conn plete tire louildinfl template mounted on the spider of a standard tire building stand.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section of Ol? AKRON, OHIO, 'ASSIGNORS TO LAMBERT OHIO, .A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

APPARATUS FOR BTANUFACTURNG CUSHION TIRES.

No. 531,194. Renewed August 7, 1924.

the template with a. standard rim in working' position.

Figure il is u detail perspective view of one of the blocks used in building up the tire.

Figure d is a detail elevation of a portion oi'. the built up tire oi the rim, located on the teniplalc und showing in dotted lines the finished diameter of the holes as completed with the initial hole cross section area.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional perspective vieuY of the huilt tire just prior to its remoral 'from the template.

`Figure ti is a detail perspective view of a portion of a tire ai'ter its removal from the template ready for insertion in the vulcanizing mold.

lligure 7 isa detail sectional perspective View of a tire in the vulcanizing mold be* fore the mold is closed to Squeeze the tire.

Figure S is a view similar to Figure 7 with the mold closed.

Figure 9 is a detail perspective view oi a portion of the finished tire.

Figure '10 is an enlarged diagrammatical cross section of a portion of the template with a standard rim shown in dotted lines in place and indicating the relative positions of the clamping bolts, spacer studs and gauging pins with relation to the center of the template.

Figure 11 is a detail elevation of one of the clamping cams,

Figures 12, 13, and lat are respectively detail cross sections on the lines 12-12,

' 13--13 and li-lll of Figure 1l.

Figure 15 isa detail elevation of one of the clan'iping bolts.

Figure lol is an enlarged cross sectionof the vulcanizing mold 'with a rim and tire in place, the mold being closed.

-lfigure 17 a detail elevation lof the portion oi' the mold showing the steam passages in .the outer face of the mold.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in Which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, l is the template which is mounted. on the usual spider 2 of the tire carrying stand. lhe template includes a plate having a .concentric rouf of threaded apertures 3 in which the clamping bolts i having threads jamb nuts 15. n provided and set approximately diametriare screwed and held adjustable by clamp nuts 6. 1The bolts 4 have reduced portions 7 on which the clamping cams 12 pivot, the cams being held in place by nuts 9 on the threaded ends 8 ot the bolts 4. n

In practice it is found sufficient and preferable to employ three bolts 4 and to arrange them in such manner that the tire rim 18 will slip over the bolts as indicated in Figures 2, and 10 of the drawings. The clamping cams 12 have bearing hubs 10 and wings 11, the latter being provided for conveniently turning the lugs into and out of clamping position.

In addition to the concentric row of apertures 3,.the plate 1 is also apertured with concentric apertures 13 in which the threaded studsv 14 are secured adjustably by the Three of the studs 14 are cally opposite the bolts 4.

The plate 1 is further provided with a concentric series of holes 16 in vhieh the gauging pins 17 are held with retaining fric- 1n lace.

tion. As shown in Figure 10 the relative positions of the axes of the bolts 4, studs 14 and pins 17, from the axis of the template ring or plate 1 are such that a rim 18 can be held in 'position and can be spaced closer to yor farther from the plate 1 by changing the adjustment of the bolts 4 and 14. The .purpose of this will be apparent later.

The standard rim 18 is provided with the usual flanges 19, one ot which engages the ends of the studs 14 while the other is engaged by the cams 12 when the rim is held o far as described the -method of building tires constituting a part of this invention consists in taking the rim 18, plating it with a film 20 ot' a material havin an afnity for rubber (brass for example This surface is then covered with a rubber cement and the base structure 21 of the tire is built v up to the desired height. This base structure may be built up in the rim 18 in anyA desired manner, as for instance, by laying superimposed strips of rubber in the rim or by die-expressing the rubber 21 and laying it in the rim in one piece. The base structure 21 may be built in the rim before the rim is placed on the template or the rim may be placed on the template and the base structure built in while on the template, in 'which e'i'ent the pins 17 may be initially omitted if desired. The pins 17, it will be noted, pass only a short distance across the tire base 21 (see Figures 2 and 5) and serve a two-fold purpose ot' gauging the depth ot the base portion 21 and acting as guides for the proper location of the cross blocks 22.

The stud and check nuts 14-15 are ad justed to'hold the rim 1S away from the plate 1 a definite and predetermined distarce while the clamp cams 12 hold the .rim up against the studs. The blocks 22 are cut a predetermined length greater than the Width of the molded tire (an amount that Will make up for the loss in volume when the space between adjacent blocksare partly filled to form the cross holes ot proper diameters). i

After the base structure has been built up and the parts .positioned as shown in Figure 4 the blocks ai'e then located against the pins 17, as shown in Figure 2, and the tread stock 23 is then laid over the4 blocks and spliced. The work then appears as indi cated in Figure 5. The completed tire with the rim is then removed from thetemplate or the building stand spider, as the case may be, taken to the curing room and laid into,l

the male halt ot the mold over the pins.32. As the holes in the built. up tire are larger than the pins 32 when the tire is placed over the pins it will readily slide without distortion. The female halt ot the mold is then located in position, the pins 32 entering the holes 3G. The parts are then in position as indicated in Figure 7, and the mold is then ready to be placed in the vulcanizing kettle. f

Several molds are placed in the kettle at the saine time, one on top ot' the other iiatwise,.

and hydraulic pressure is usually applied to squeeze the mold halves together and' squeeze the contents ot' the mold halves to fill all of the spaces or cavities in the molding chainber by displacing the rubber. As the blocks 22 are longer than the finished width and finally removed from the mold it will.l

appear somewhat as in Figure 9 of the drawings.

The molds which We prefer to use in. the manufacture of this tire consist of two plates 24 and 25, one of which, 2,4, prolill) iicvidedveith recesses 35 and apertured to receive the pins 32 which have their Shanks 33l riveted at 34 to make the pins 32 a permanent part of the mold plate 24. Each mold plate has inner walls 2G designed to Lengage the sides of the rim 18 and each has annular grooves 27 with bevelled suribrs 28 to receive the flanged edges 1S) ot the rim 18 and center the rim in the molds.

The molding chamber consists ot' a halt' cavity in each mold section 2-1 25` and in# eludes the tread forming portion 29 in which the desired tread design is worked in the usual way. Each mold plate 24, 25 is adapted to come together at the peripheral edge as indicated in 'Figure 16 and is so dcsigned to leave a slight overflow space between the molding chamber and lthe overincassa How chamber 30, the later being in the na'- ture of an annular edge groove in each mold plate, the half grooves matching as shown.

In order to properly position the lugs 38 on the plates 24, the plates are provided with dowel pins 37 and holes to receive them. The lugs 38 are provided for the reception of temporary clamping elements and also to provide convenient means for the raising and lowering gear to catch hold of in removing and introducing-'the molds from and to the vulcanizing kettle.

- As the tire molds are laced in the kettle one at a time it is esirable that the steam may have anample time to circulate between the molds and fill the interior or center spaces thereof. Therefore the eXterior surface of the female mold (preferably) is provided with steam circulating grooves 39 which extend approximately tangential to the curvature of the molds and assists in whirling the steam in the kettle and thus causes an effective circulation of steam as it passes through the kettle from the place of entrance to the place of exit.l

After .the tire has been thoroughly vulcanized the molds are removed from the kettle and pried apart to strip them from the tire. into the spaces 3l is then trimmed olf and the tire will be then ready for the market.

Thus it will be seen that in the employi ment of this method and apparatus the following advantages of this method of male ing cushion tires over the present method 1. Quicker building, since the time required to build a tire from the present practice is reduced to about one-third of the time.

2. There is a great"saving in the use of core pins; at the present time the general practice is to carry a large and various assortment of core pins since the ends of the pins are continually swaged' when driven into the side plates, calling for continued grinding and replacement.

3. Tire builders are not required to handle heavy side plates, forms between which the tires are now built, and thereby the tire builders do not run so great a risk of bodily injury.

4. The tire building room and the curing room may work independently of each other, whereas under the present practice they are dependent on each other for-side plates; in the present practice the tires are built up between side plates which constitute, as well,

the side plates of the molds.

5. The molds remain in one location, i. ef

the curing room, instead of being transported back and forth from'the tire building room to the curing room as under the present practice.'

6. The molds are comparatively cheaper The excess rubber which passed as the pins are attached to the molds as against loose pins at present largely employed.

7. A saving of the time required to strip the tire from the mold is effected and more tires and molds per man can be handled than under the present practice.

8. No shearing action is required -in stripping the tires from the molds, thus reducing the number ofseconds.

9. Mold stamping may be made more prominent than at present.

10. Less trimming is required because the trimmer is not required to trim around each hole nor around the joint between the tread and side wall as is the case where loose pins and rim plates are used in the molds..

l1. Building stock can be more readily gauged, weighed, or measured, the waste thus reduced to the minimum.

l2. The vfinished tire has a better appearance because of less trimmed edges be ing exposed.

13. rlhe capacity of heater presses is increased because the mold halves go closer together than in the case where the molds are provided with separable tread rims, and lastlyn 14. veniently be made. l

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the method employed and apparatus will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

l/Vhat we claim is:

l. The method of manufacturing cushion tires which consists in associating a rim witha template, building up the tire base structure in the rim to the depth gauged by the template, holding the rim in a definite position on the template, placing crosswise, at intervals, blocks of rubber of a length .greater than the width of the finished tire and at intervals substantially greater' than the diameter of the holes in the finished tire, placing the tread structure around the blocks, removing the rim and its contents from the template, inserting the same in a compressing and vulcanizing mold, subjecting the mass to vulcanizing temperature and Supervision and inspectionv can conlll() thereafter removing the tire from the mold and trimming the excess rubber therefrom.

2. 'The method of manufacturing cushion tireshaving holes through the same, said method consists in taking a standard rim and building up a base structure therein, locating the same on a template, placing rubber blocks of greater 'length than the Width of the finished tiro around and on said base structure with the'cnds of the blocks engaging the template, holding' the blocks spaced apart a substantiallf.V lgreater distance than the diameter of the inished holes, placing tread rubber around tha@ blocks, removing the rim and rubber structure from the template and applying compressing pressure to the outside of the rubber mass to displace the rubber of the blocks and cause the same to partially fill *the spaces between adjacent blocks while restraining said displacement within prede termined limits, and vulcanizing the mass under pressure.

3. A tire builder-s template, comprising a plate with a concentric row of gauging pins7 rim clamps and rim spacing lugs.

4. -A tire builders template comprising\a ring plate, rim holding elements for mounting the rim on the plate, 'and rim spacer studs for determining` the position of the rim with regard to the plate.

5.- A tire builders template comprising a ring plate, rim holding elements for mounting the rim on the plate, and rim spacerstuds-for determining the position of the rim with regard to the plate and gauging pins carried by the plate and projected over the rim.

6. A tire builders template comprising` a plate,'a set of rim holding and centering clamp bolts and spacing studs for locating a rim in place and gauging pins carried by said plate outside the circle of the rim and projected over the rim.

o 7. A tire bnilders template comprising a plate, a set of rim holding and centering clamp boltsand spacing studs spaced alter nately With said bolts or locating a rim in place, and gauging pins carried by said plate outside the circle ofthe rim and projected over the rim.

8. A tire builders template comprising a plate having two sets of alternately spaced threaded holes, a set of clamping bolts with. j amb nuts held in one set of holes and a set of threaded spacer lugs with 'jamb nuts held inthe other set of holes.

9. A tire builders template comprising a plate having two sets of altepnatelyspaced threaded holes, a set of clamping bolts with l jamb nuts held in one set of holes anda set:k i of threaded spacer lugs with jamb nuts heldin the other set of holes, said plate havingea.

third set of holes and gauging pins held in said third set of holes. 'f

l1. A tire mold comprising male and fer-imale plates, the male plates having iXed pins and the female plates having holesatoreceive the pins, said plates having abutting.

surfaces at their peripheries and vhaving1 spaced Walls to receive and locate a` rim; between the same, said plate enclosingva forming chamber, said plate' havingrim edgegTeceiving grooves with means to centerl 70 the i-im, said plate'having a single rubber overow chamber With a restricted passage '555 between the ysame and the forming chamber.

CARL n. RETT.

oneness. Animasoit-.flff;A j 

